Meet the machete-wielding football hooligan gangs who chop off each others’ HANDS in blood-soaked ‘Holy War’ derby
PREMIER League fans are well-aware of the dangers of going to a game given the number of thugs hell-bent on violence.
But our hooligan problem pales in comparison to the one in Poland, where wearing the wrong colours outside a stadium could lead to you being MURDERED.
As part of our new series, League of Shame, The Sun examines how football hooliganism is seeing an unwelcome resurgence across the continent – and poses a worrying threat to fans ahead of this summer’s European Championships.
Krakow has been dubbed the ‘City of Knives’ because of its 30-year long history of violence, with supporters having been killed, stabbed and mutilated outside games.
The two main hooligan firms there are said to be manned by 100-strong teams of highly trained UFC fighters that refuse to drink alcohol in case it impacts their combat skills.
And both gangs, supporting rival teams Wisła Krakow and MKS Cracovia, routinely carry weapons having become deeply entrenched in organised crime, according to experts.
The rivalry reaches boiling point every year during the annual derby match, which has been dubbed the ‘Holy War’ as the clashes are so extreme.
Professor Radoslaw Kossakowski has conducted a number of studies on football hooliganism in Poland.
He told The Sun: “Krakow is definitely the most dangerous city in Poland for football fans.
“If you are a normal supporter you shouldn’t – and this is really important for your safety – show your club colours, your scarf or T-shirt.
“That could be really dangerous if you go to the wrong place in the city.
“Krakow has become an island of barbarians and gangster-style hooligans. People are killed and murdered.”
Fans killed and hands chopped off
We can reveal that Polish hooligans are now considered to be among the most violent in the world – up there with Russian ultras and those supporting clubs in Latin America, where life is notoriously cheap.
Wisla fans are nicknamed “dogs” by their rivals as the club was previously run by the hated communist police for 40 years.
Cracovia, meanwhile, are known as Pasy (Stripes) or Jews because of their supposed Jewish roots, which leads to antisemitic chants being sung by far-right rivals during games.
The depth of hatred between the two is bottomless.
So there was little surprise when both refused to sign the 2004 ‘Poznan Pact’ which banned the use of weapons.
Krakow has become an island of barbarians and gangster-style hooligans. People are killed and murdered
Professor Radoslaw Kossakowski
Shocking incidents include eight fans being killed in the build-up to the 100-year anniversary match between Wisla and MKS Cracovia in 2006.
Water cannons, riot vans, choppers, dogs, and nearly 1,000 cops were on hand during the game.
In 2011, members of Wisła’s ultras ‘The Sharks’ were found guilty of brutally murdering a member of a Cracovia hooligan group called ‘The Jude Gang.’
Four years later, Wisla fan Dominik Luty, 22, was reported to have chopped off a rival Cracovia fan’s hand with a machete when they were both out drinking in the city.
Horrified passer-by Jakub Nowak, 34, said: “I came round the corner and saw this man covered in blood.
“He was unconscious and had wounds to his legs and his hand was lying a few centimetres away.”
Drugs and money laundering
It is the strong links with organised crime that make Polish footie thugs so much more sinister than those in the UK.
Incredibly, a Wisla firm called ‘The Sharks’ once became so powerful they effectively took over the club.
Operating as the SKWK fan group, they were led by 39-year-old hooligan Pawel Michalsk, who was nicknamed ‘Teddy Bear’ and was once convicted of throwing a knife at Italian star Dino Baggio’s head during a UEFA Cup tie in 1998.
From 2016, the firm took up key positions on Wisla’s board as they began using the club as a base for criminal activities, laundering drug money and siphoning off legitimate funds through fake supply contracts.
Players and staff were abused and intimidated and even the biggest stars went months without being paid.
Attacks were organised on rival fans, with flares handed out by club bosses in the stadium toilets.
Wisla’s gym was used to train hooligans in street fighting, according to reports.
By the time the gang’s leaders were arrested and a new, legitimate board installed in 2019, a debt of £7.95m – or 40m zloty – had been run up, putting the club’s future at risk.
Machete attack
A huge police crackdown followed and fighting is much less common at Polish stadiums today.
Yet hooligans continue to stage organised clashes in the countryside and in abandoned warehouses.
In June 2020, a Cracovia supporter was hospitalised following a machete attack by Wisła fans.
The following year, a group of young Wisla hooligans was caught on video attacking a more established firm on a housing estate after accusing them of co-operating with the police.
Professor Kossakowski added: “Paradoxically, stadiums in Poland are really safe.
I came round the corner and saw this man covered in blood. He was unconscious and had wounds to his legs and his hand was lying a few centimetres away
Jakub Nowak
“We have very restrictive laws dedicated to football so if you use pyrotechnics or do something illegal you are automatically banned – so there are no fights at the stadiums now.
“But they do fight in the woods and abandoned places, sometimes on the street.”
Szymon Jadczak, an investigative journalist that made a TVN documentary on Krakow’s gangster hooligans, warned: “People are still afraid. The bandits have not disappeared.
“You can still see their influence in the club and the city. You can still buy anti-Semitic Sharks paraphernalia at the club store!”
Poland’s hooligan problem started with the fall of communism in 1989.
The previous regime ruled with an iron grip that kept football’s more thuggish elements under lock and key.
Deadly weapons snuck in
But the switch to a capitalist system led to a breakdown of law and order that the hooligan firms took full advantage of.
By the 1990s, the terraces had become a dangerous place for ordinary fans.
It was common for deadly weapons to be snuck into stadiums and when fights and rioting broke out, the police would respond with brutal force.
Professor Przemysław Piotrowski is from Krakow but insisted “it is better not to publish” which team he supports.
He said: “I’ve been inside the crowd when policemen shot at us with rubber bullets.
I’ve been inside the crowd when policemen shot at us with rubber bullets
Professor Przemysław Piotrowski
“In the 1990s, it was easy for the fans to bring wooden sticks and other potential weapons in the stadium. When they started to clash, the police would try to stop them.
“There are games when the tension is very high and in Krakow with the rivalry between the two teams it can be dangerous.
“Outside the stadiums there are organised clashes that can be very violent. It’s hard to say how often they happen.
“Krakow is known as the place where deadly weapons are used and there have been a few deaths.
“Because of their association with the old communist party, there is a tradition of not speaking to the police in Poland.
“So even when a person has lost their arm and is in hospital, he will say he fell down the stairs.”
The Sun reached out to Wisła Krakow and MKS Cracovia for comment.
A spokesperson for Wisła Krakow said: “The dynamics within the club have undergone substantial changes since 2019, subsequent to the pivotal “rescue operation” orchestrated by Jakub Błaszczykowski – a distinguished figure in the club and national team, in his capacity as the owner, alongside Jarosław Królewski, who assumes the roles of the majority shareholder and president of Wisła Kraków.
“The sustained operation of Wisła Kraków would be unfeasible without the significant dedication exhibited by its supporters, who have been instrumental in ensuring the club’s survival.
“Currently, they continue to offer their support, notably through initiatives like the Socios association.
“The management of the club is in the hands of esteemed individuals who are committed to preserving Wisła as an emblematic football brand.
“Our operations are founded on principles of transparency and wholesome support and we play a significant role in the community by presenting positive exemplars, including to our supporters.
“Our stadium has become a welcoming venue for families, individuals with disabilities, and the youth, many of whom aspire to be future Wisła Kraków players.
“Wisła Kraków stands as a paragon of fair play and healthy support, categorically distancing itself from any conduct that diverges from its ethical guidelines.
“Legal actions are currently in progress against individuals whose past action placed the club in a dire predicament.”